For decades, Max Ostro set aside the finest blue topaz he came across in his relentless search for the most beautiful gemstones in the world. As a tribute to his life and to commemorate its 50th year, Ostro Minerals is proud to present ostroblue™. These stones are naturally limited by the scarcity of the raw material and further by the intensity of the cultivation process that brings out their brilliant, intense blue color.
ostroblue™ topaz can be found in a variety of familiar cuts. The gemstones are set in specially selected jewelry pieces that beautifully complement the brilliance of each stone.
Since the discovery of gemstones, mankind has used techniques to unlock their latent beauty, from the 'oiling' of emeralds to the 'burning' of rubies and sapphires.
These processes have been progressively advancing over millennia and Ostro Minerals has worked for decades with leading scientists in their relentless pursuit of perfection to develop the most sophisticated techniques known to man.
ostroblue™ represents the pinnacle of these advancements, resulting in a magnificent shade of blue that is unlike that of any other topaz.
While rough and dull in its raw state, topaz is among the world's hardest stones, making it ideally suited for creating a dazzling polish and luster. Raw topaz material is first studied for suitability, with selected stones then being marked for specific cuts based on their natural shape and color potential. The selected stones are formed and faceted, followed by a series of sanding, smoothing, and polishing procedures to produce a brilliant luster.
Topaz is among the hardest gemstones in nature. The stone is found in many brilliant colors, but is often colorless when mined from the earth. Those stones that do possess a natural color are extremely rare and have been fired deep within the earth, earning topaz its name from the Sanskrit word for fire.
The stone’s allure has a legacy dating back thousands of years, with various cultures ascribing powers of healing, strength, and protection. This universal fascination is a testament to its stunning beauty.
Raw topaz is a hard, brilliant, transparent stone. The silicate mineral composed of aluminum and fluorine crystallizes in vapor pockets during lava flow and occurs in cavities within granite or rhyolite igneous rock, pegmatite dikes, high temperature quartz veins and alluvial deposits. Topaz is found primarily in Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States. Topaz falls at number 8 on the scale indicating that its resilience to scratching is superseded only by diamond and corundum.
Topaz is a silicate mineral (specifically Aluminum fluorohydroxysilicate)
Al2 SiO4(F,OH)2.
Vitreous
One direction, easily developed perfect basal cleavage
Orthorhombic.
Conchoidal
1 – refers to transparent stones that often appear in nature with no visible inclusions. They have icy clarity and even the smallest inclusion may be cause to reject for use in jewelry.
This vividly blue, oval-cut topaz weighs 9,831 carats. Mined in Brazil over 20 years ago, it is the world’s largest known topaz of this intense color. It is proudly owned by Ostro Minerals.
The Topaz Azul is a beautiful, flawless, vivid blue cushion-cut topaz weighing 8.225 carats. Mined in Minas Gerais, Brazil it is now part of the Programa Royal Collections in Spain.
Once the largest faceted gemstone in the world at 21,005 carats, the light blue emerald cut gemstone resides at American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The legendary colorless gemstone belonged to the Portuguese Royal House of Braganza and disappeared without a trace after the death of King John VI in 1826. It weighs 1,640 carats and was originally thought to be a diamond.
The “El-Dorado Topaz” is the largest faceted gemstone in the world, weighing 31,000 carats. The stone is emerald-cut, with good clarity and a yellowish-brown color. It is now part of the Programa Royal Collections.
The Ostro family was a pioneer in the development of blue topaz and instrumental in the exponential growth of the market. The now generalized names for “London” and “Swiss” blue topaz have long been associated with Ostro.
Ostro Minerals is a family-owned business that has been instrumental in the development of the blue topaz market for decades, bringing it from relative obscurity to a level of popularity exceeded only by sapphires.
Max Ostro, the man responsible for this impressive legacy, began his journey in the gemstone industry in the 1960s, representing Mexico in international exhibitions with its renowned opals. Max travelled further and further East constantly in search of gemstones of great colour and beauty.
His travels took him as a pioneer in establishing the colored gem market to Japan and Hong Kong, where he was joined by Jane Chung.
Jane continues to guide the next generations in this family enterprise. Max explored mining opportunities in Africa and Brazil, and brought his finds to markets across the world, setting up offices in Japan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Antwerp, Switzerland, New York and London.
Today the company is based in London and run by Maurice, Max's son, and Michael, his grandson. Together father and son carry on the legacy of passion for the finest in colored gemstones. Ostro Minerals is also the owner of the Ostro Stone, the world’s largest known blue topaz of deep blue color, weighing in at 9,831 carats.
